Kings Young Core: Contenders or Pretenders?

NBA columnist Zach Buckley gave some praise to the Squad in his latest article, which highlighted young NBA core teams that he believes are set to compete for championships in the near future, and those who might fracture before hitting the mark.

Buckley detailed the core teams he deems built to withstand the rigors of the playoff race, and truly vie for the crown.Out of five talented young NBA cores, which include: Boston, Denver, Philadelphia, Utah, and Sacramento – Buckley lists the Kings as potential contenders built for long-term success.

“Fox and Bagley are the biggest difference-makers,” Buckley writes.

“[Fox] is among the NBA's fastest players, and he's leveraged that speed to fuel a full-fledged breakout season,” Buckley exclaimed of No. 5’s impressive season.

“Since the All-Star break, Bagley is averaging 19.0 points and 8.9 boards with a 52.1/40.0/73.0 shooting slash,” Buckley continued, before quoting Kings head coach Dave Joerger. “I just think the sky’s the limit for Marvin […] You talk about just scraping the tip of what he can do talent-wise. I think it's going to be really fun to be around him for a long, long time.”

His love for the young Squad didn’t end there, as Buckley praised Harry Giles III as well, stating: “Giles is the best freshman no one is talking about; his per-36-minute line includes 17.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists.”

One of the highlighted “quirks” of the squad Buckley noticed, is that Sacramento boasts a mixture of “young” players that are several years older than the two previously highlighted phenoms.

Harrison Barnes, Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic are all 26-years-old, with Willie Cauley-Stein soon to follow into that age range.

However, there was no doubt behind mid-20’s Kings potential, claiming that most of them have experienced more growth than other hoopers their age.

“Hield bends defenses the way few snipers can,” Buckley states. “Bogdanovic functions as a hoops adhesive who does a little of everything.”

To read the complete breakdown of Zach Buckley’s contenders and pretenders, click here.